Welcome to the three-part analysis of The Seven Pillars of Life. This is Part I of III. You can find the Introduction here, Part II here, and Part III here.
Introduction
In the past, I found myself with an abundance of time and energy, yet I was often paralyzed by indecision. I would spend countless hours pondering, “What should I do?” This state of ‘Paralysis by Analysis’ led me to seek a structured approach to productivity.
Many of us, particularly millennials, grapple with this issue. If we examine the history of our education system, we find that the concept of extended adolescence is prevalent. From the moment we learn to walk and talk, we are told what to do, what classes to take, and how to behave. This guidance, while beneficial in some respects, can leave us ill-prepared for the unstructured reality of adulthood.
Once we enter the workforce, our jobs dictate our activities for eight hours daily. But what about the time outside of work? Many of us struggle to fill these hours productively because we were never taught how to prioritize our time and focus our energies.
Through synchronicity, I came across entirely unrelated research that introduced to me a new perspective on life, one that views life as seven interconnected areas. These areas are: health, occupation, residence, cohabitation, intimate relationships, family, and spirituality. Each area contributes to a holistic picture of life.
There is no prescribed order to these areas, yet an order exists. It may seem paradoxical, but as we delve deeper into this article, we will explore why — at times — we need to prioritize some areas over others and how this prioritization enables us to manage the rest better.
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Health: The Foundation of Life
The first area we need to focus on is health, specifically physical health. Health is the basic building block of life. To be physically healthy means to be able to walk, run, jump, and enjoy living. From a chakra perspective, health aligns with the root chakra, representing our most basic survival needs. Therefore, health must always be prioritized before any other areas.
Occupation: The Act of Creating Value
The second pillar of life is our occupation. This area is crucial because it represents how we provide value to the world and receive value in return. This value exchange enables us to live a good life, often evidenced by the money we earn from our services.
Occupation aligns with the second chakra, the chakra of sex. After reading “Think and Grow Rich,” I’ve come to understand the energy of sex differently. We often view sex from a natural perspective, focusing on lust and the physical component. However, sex is the act of creating. So, with our occupation, we must ask ourselves: Are we able to create value in the world to receive value or income back?
For example, many millennials aspire to become entrepreneurs. However, is entrepreneurship providing enough income for you to live a healthy life and balance the other aspects of life? By seeing life in this focus, you realize that it might be best to secure a job first, earn income, and grow in this job. This way, you can ensure that this pillar is secure.
Health and occupation are not the focus of life, but they are the legs that allow us to walk through life. These two areas need to be solidified before we can start to focus on what life is really all about.
Residence: Our Habitat and Habits
The next pillar of life is our residence. Where we live is not just a physical location but a space that supports us. As I mentioned in my previous article, our mind is a creature of habits and habitats. Our environment plays a significant role in our experience of life.
As depicted in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, our residence encompasses our basic needs for food, shelter, and security. Therefore, we must ask ourselves: Is our residence supportive of us? Do we like where we are living? These questions help us evaluate whether our residence is more than just a place but a home that contributes positively to our lives.
Cohabitation: Our Shared Spaces
The fourth pillar of life is cohabitation. This area refers to the people we share our environment and habitats with. It’s crucial that we appreciate our living situation. If there’s a problem within our living situation, we must work to resolve it. After all, this is where we spend most of our time.
This concept also speaks to individuals who prefer solitude. While solitude can be enjoyable, cohabitation is an integral aspect of living. Even if we love to be alone, sharing our space with others is a part of life that we must acknowledge and manage effectively.
Intimate Relationships: The Essence of Life
The fifth area is intimate relationships. Life is meant to be lived intimately. As humans, we are meant to develop relationships where we can be open and honest with each other. Cultivating intimate relationships is a vital essence of life -- speaking to the value of deep friendships and partners.
Family: The Power of Lineage
The sixth area is family. Family encompasses culture, tradition, and history. There is power in family because, as I stated in the introduction, our consciousness has experienced life over and over again. We continue that lineage by studying the history and traditions of those who came before us. If we don’t, new ideas and histories -- as we’re seeing in our current day and time -- can be implemented and misused.
That’s why family, history, and tradition are important.
Spirituality: The Final Frontier
Last but not least, we have spirituality. Spirituality should not be addressed until everything else is in place. There is no priority here, but there is a pecking order. Your health and occupation must be in place before we start to focus on spirituality because one needs to survive. While much emphasis is placed on spirituality -- especially via “the new age movement,” the newest psyop on the block --the lower needs, similar to Maslow’s hierarchy, must be met first.
Conclusion
These are the seven areas of life — and the order that I’ve listed them — and we must ensure that each area balances the others. This holistic approach allows us to navigate life more effectively and find fulfillment in all areas.
There is a foundation when we talk about our health and our occupation. These areas act as our legs, enabling us to walk through life and determine our path. These are the areas we need to prioritize because then we can really start living a life worth living.
Where we live, who we open up to, and who our soul experiences this journey with, from our intimate friends to those we interact with every day, to our family and the culture and traditions we preserve, these areas define what life is about.
I’ve tested this concept among some critics, and they agree that these are the seven domains of life. I’d love to hear your feedback on what you think about these pillars, but I think we can all agree that these are the only seven areas of life that matter.
Now, if we’ve agreed that these are the only areas of life that matter, this takes us to our next article, where we talk about how anything that is not part of these seven pillars of life is nothing but a distraction to what life is all about.
Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to seeing you in the next analysis.
Ashe!
Call To Action
If you enjoyed this article and found it insightful, I invite you to become a paying subscriber of Unorthodoxy. By subscribing, you’ll gain access to more thought-provoking content like this, as well as my book, which encourages readers to see the world differently.
Seeing the world differently is the first step towards creating a new world. Your subscription will support my work and ensure that no time is lost in sharing these transformative insights.
Join us today and become part of a community that values unorthodox thinking and the pursuit of a fulfilling life. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Thank you, and best of luck on your journey.
How To Order Book (Two Options)
You can order directly from me if you’re in the United States and want a signed copy.
However, if you’re outside the United States, you may want to consider ordering from Amazon for faster shipping and delivery — and if you have Prime.
Always interesting to see how people prioritize and think about what to essentialize in a good life. The odd thing is that an article like this - the essence of what constitutes "a meaningful/good life" will probably get much less energy from the public than all of the clickbait "bread and circuses" we are perpetually distracting ourselves with. The outrage of the day, the media controversy, etc. all drain us body and soul. Thinking on these topics is the proper focus, thank you.
I agree that the 7 pillars give an outline of what is important in life and can be used to prioritize actions and limit pursuits of distractions. You will also notice that each of the pillars are under attack in our society.